Jotun: Valhalla Edition

Jotun is a hand-drawn action-exploration game set in Norse Mythology.

Explore vast regions of Norse purgatory to find runes to unleash the jotun, massive Norse elementals. Fight them using only your massive two-handed axe, the blessings of the Gods and your warrior skills!

In Jotun, you play Thora, a Viking warrior who died an inglorious death and must prove herself to the Gods to enter Valhalla. The Viking culture is based on valor. This means that you don’t reach Valhalla, their version of Heaven, by being a good person. You only get in if you accomplished valorous deeds in life. Cowardice is one of the biggest sins in Viking culture and cowards go straight to Hel (you guessed it, their version of Hell). For Jotun, we took the liberty of adding another layer to the Norse afterlife: Purgatory, a place where a select few have a second chance to reach Valhalla by overcoming impossible trials.

Jotun is a game about epic boss fights. The game has five different giants, each one with their own region and levels to explore. Every jotun has different powers and strategy. For example, Isa, the Winter jotun, offers a melee based fights. This fight is about timing and using the environment to help you. Hagalaz, the Storm jotun, summons a “bullet hell” of lightning attacks and dodging is as important as attacking. The most important thing about Jotun’s bosses is scale. They feel impossible to beat, a true David versus Goliath endeavor.

Another key aspect of Jotun is exploration. Each level in Jotun is filled with secrets, so exploring every nook and cranny always pays off. For example, each level hides a rune that must be found in order to unlock the boss fights. Jotun’s levels are really diverse. While some levels (especially in the Winter region) are vast and lonely, some levels are puzzle-based and others have combat. Every level in Jotun is inspired by a story from Norse mythology. From the dwarven city of Brokkr’s Forge to the frozen rivers of Nifheim, every region pays tribute to Viking legends.

Once Jotun: Valhalla Edition, Redout: Enhanced Edition and Prey, the current free games on the Epic Games Store, have run their course, it will be up to a yet to be revealed mystery game, which will be gratis starting May 19 until May 26, 2022.

Prey

In Prey, you awaken aboard Talos I, a space station orbiting the moon in the year 2032. You are the key subject of an experiment meant to alter humanity forever, but the space station has been overrun by hostile aliens, and you are now being hunted.

Prey is a first-person sci-fi action game that re-imagines the franchise from the ground up ... with an added psychological twist.

In Prey, you find yourself aboard a space station, hunted by aliens, desperate to not only survive but also unravel the enigma of your own identity.

But it’s not just extraterrestrial threats that you’ll encounter.

You are Morgan Yu, the subject of morally dubious experiments designed to improve the human race. You awaken aboard the Talos 1 in the year 2032 and must uncover the secrets hiding in the depths of the space station while being hunted by the mysterious alien force that has taken over. You'll have to rely on the tools you find on the station — along with your wits, weapons and mind-bending abilities — to combat the growing threat and, hopefully, survive.

The space station Talos I is as much of a character as Morgan Yu, it’s an alternate future as imagined by Arkane – a timeline that (among other things) includes President Kennedy surviving his assassination attempt. In Prey’s version of the future, the U.S. has built an even stronger space program, with Talos I emerging as a space station unlike anything you’ve seen in movies or games.

Fight overwhelming odds to escape a secret TranStar moon base where the enemies you encounter, the hazards you face, the goals you complete, and the loot you collect are different each time you play. With changing environments as dangerous as they are dynamic, the Mooncrash campaign for Prey will offer a fun, infinitely replayable challenge to test even the most skilled players.

Redout: Enhanced Edition

 You’re in for an uncompromising, fast, tough and satisfying driving experience, soaked in that vertigo that stands at the core of the arcade racing genre.

Redout is a tribute to the old racing monsters such as F-Zero, WipeOut, Rollcage, and POD. No bollocks: get in the ship and slam that throttle.

Think you know the meaning of fast? We challenge you. From the first moment, you will feel the enormous amount of power coming from your engine. Hovering a few meters above the ground going over 800 km/h is no piece of cake. There’s no racing on rails here: each input will apply a physical force to your ship. This means you will feel every turn and every twist in the track.

A sharp low-polygon style blends meshes and terrains with the latest state-of-the-art shading and lighting effects provided by the Unreal Engine 4, creating beautiful and instantly recognisable aesthetics. From dirty suburban environments, to eerie frozen landscapes, to vast desert plains, players are immersed in the melancholic, dystopian atmosphere of a semi abandoned Earth.